Zain Selects Ericsson for 5G in Bahrain

Press release

Published November 13th, 2019 - 05:44 GMT

During the event

Highlights

Ericsson to deploy 3GPP standards-based 5G New Radio (NR) and core network

Zain has selected Ericsson to build its 5G network in Bahrain, with the first commercial 5G services expected to go live before the end of 2019. Spanning Ericsson 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) and 5G Core products and solutions, Zain Bahrain aims to enhance the digital lives of people, enterprises, and industries in the country via its 5G network.

Under the contract, Zain Bahrain’s network will be modernized from LTE to 5G. Ericsson is providing 3GPP standards-based 5G New Radio (NR) hardware and software from the Ericsson Radio System portfolio, including Massive MIMO solutions. Ericsson is also providing Ericsson Cloud Packet Core and Voice over LTE solutions. The solutions will upgrade Zain’s existing mobile networks and introduce the latest 5G technologies across the country.

Ericsson’s 5G portfolio will enable Zain Bahrain to expand coverage while simultaneously strengthening its current network. Ericsson’s high-speed and low-latency 5G technology will help Zain to meet growing data traffic demands and deliver high-quality mobile broadband and fixed wireless experiences.

His Excellency Shaikh Ahmed bin Ali Al Khalifa, Zain Bahrain Chairman, says: “This agreement marks a major milestone for both companies. Zain Bahrain is excited about the new strategic partnership with Ericsson to support, expand and speed up the deployment of the Kingdom 5G network. Zain Bahrain’s ability to provide the latest 5G revolution services comes under the continuous commitment to invest in Zain’s digitalization strategy to empower Zain Bahrain customers with solutions and services that are at the forefront of our digital future.”

His Excellency added: “5G is expected to be the connectivity infrastructure that will foster industrial and societal transformation. It is about a network infrastructure that is easy and can be used for all sorts of different and personalized usages. It could unlock the full capabilities of the latest technology trends and become an innovation platform and an opportunity for Zain Bahrain to provide specialized network services to a series of new industry partners: from the automotive to health to energy sectors.”

Fadi Pharaon, President of Ericsson Middle East & Africa, says: “5G promises to accelerate the digitization of industries, presenting new opportunities and enabling service providers to launch the most advanced technologies while improving the end-user experience with faster speeds and lower latency. The deployment of these technologies will enable Zain Bahrain to meet the rapidly evolving demands of consumers and accelerate deployment of new use cases and innovative services for their enterprise and industry customers."

The 5G-ready radio access and core network infrastructure rollout strengthens the collaboration between Ericsson and Zain Bahrain. In addition to improving operational efficiency, it also enhances network capabilities for IoT applications and other potential future services.

Ericsson now has more than 70 commercial 5G agreements or contracts with unique communication service providers, of which 23 are live networks.

Background Information

Zain

Zain is the pioneer of mobile telecommunications in the Middle East. We began life in 1983 in Kuwait as the region’s first mobile operator, and since the initiation of our expansion strategy in 2003, we have expanded rapidly. Today, we are a leading mobile voice and data services operator with a commercial footprint in 8 Middle Eastern and Africa countries with a workforce of over 6,000 providing a comprehensive range of mobile voice and data services to over 50 million active individual and business customers as of March 31, 2019.

Company Profile

Ericsson

Ericsson is one of the leading providers of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to service providers, with about 40% of the world’s mobile traffic carried through our networks. We enable the full value of connectivity by creating game-changing technology and services that are easy to use, adopt and scale, making our customers successful in a fully connected world. For more than 140 years, our ideas, technology and people have changed the world: real turning points that have transformed lives, industries and society as a whole.